An intellectual in public

"In this new collection of essays spanning seven years of contributions to The New Republic, The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly and other prominent publications, Wolfe displays the courage necessary to write honestly - yet free of ideology, cant, and piety - about the things Americans take very seriously." "Wolfe thinks big; indeed, the essays in An Intellectual in Public confront many of the most controversial issues of our time: country, God, race, sex, material consumption, and left and right. Beginning and ending the book are original essays describing the public intellectual's role, and how Wolfe believes that role ought to be filled."--BOOK JACKET.